Rabbit Holes, Red Pills, and Headsets: A Pop History of Virtual Worlds
What do Alice’s rabbit hole, the red pill and a VR headset have in common? They all invite us to leave one reality behind and step into another. From Alice in Wonderland to Snow Crash, The Matrix and eXistenZ to today’s social virtual worlds, Christopher Werth traces how popular culture has imagined virtual realities long […]
From Sunset to Second Life: What Virtual Worlds Teach Us About the Future
What can the virtual worlds we have lost and those that have endured teach us about what we should build next? Fittingly hosted inside the Virtual Worlds Museum™ Second Life Hub, the session opens with Julian Reyes, Founder and Director of the Virtual Worlds Museum™, introducing the space, its preservation work and the Sunset Exhibit: […]
Living Heritage: Reclaiming Cultural Memory Through Immersive Experiences
Who gets to preserve, interpret and tell our cultural memory? Immersive technologies are opening new ways to keep heritage alive, but also raise questions about whose stories are remembered and how they are carried into the future. Bringing together perspectives from Africa, the Caribbean and Europe, Marta Minguell Colomé, Danelson Maldonado and Paul Simon Waiyaki, […]
Reclaiming the Narrative: XR Journalism, Criticism and the Future of Immersive Culture
How do we talk and write about XR in ways that are useful to those building it and compelling to those who have never put on a headset? Criticism, journalism, and conversation around XR are still finding their shape, often split between insider language made for the industry and rare attempts to bring these experiences […]
What European XR Can Offer the World: A Future of Trustworthy and Inclusive Virtual Worlds
Europe’s XR ecosystem combines technical innovation, cultural diversity, and human-centred values to shape virtual worlds that are open, interoperable, and empowering. But what does “European XR” mean in a global context? While narratives often suggest Europe lags behind, initiatives across the continent reveal a strong and diverse immersive ecosystem with unique contributions to make. This […]
The Theatre Of Death: Dramatic Séance | Tadeusz Kantor
In this immersive lecture-performance, ShuShuVR – an award-winning VR Art & Drama Director who melds theatrical narrative and visual art into emotionally resonant, immersive experiences – explores the metaphysical dimensions of theatre through Virtual Reality. The event honors the legacy of one of the most extraordinary avant-garde artists in the history of theatre: Tadeusz Kantor. […]
The Future Of Immersive Experiences
Immersive experiences have entered the mainstream – blockbusters like Van Gogh Alive, Tutankhamun, and large-scale venues such as The Sphere in Las Vegas show how audiences crave multi-sensory storytelling. This panel brings together Teresa Balestrieri, Mari Kuss, and Alina Mikhaleva, moderated by Anne Seubert, to discuss what comes next. From curating exhibitions and producing festivals to […]
Immersive Afterlife: Exploring Death, Grief and Human Connection in the Age of XR and AI
The culture of death and dying is changing, especially in the West. It is now possible to discuss our fears, our preferences, and our grief more openly. Does VR and increasingly AI – have a special role to play in this process? How can we design worlds, tools, and events that help people learn, find […]
Mortality Murals: Ephemeral Street Art in VR
Street art is by nature ephemeral – painted over, weathered, or removed. But in VR, it can find new life. This immersive session invites participants into the Culture of Death, where a curated collection of street art from around the globe opens space for reflection on impermanence and mortality. Guided by Tom Nickel, who has […]
Preserving the Legacy of Digital Culture: The Virtual Worlds Museum™ Living Archive
The Virtual Worlds Museum™ is mapping, preserving, and showcasing the evolving ecosystem of virtual world platforms. This session explores digital archiving, 3D mapping, ethical considerations, AI, and immersive Interoperability. Learn about the organizations shaping the future of XR: Virtual World Society, MetaTraversal, and XR Guild Julian Reyes will also be unveiling The Teleportal, an interactive […]